Tag: COVID19 | Page 2

The elimination of viral hepatitis in Canada: Where are we now and where can we go?

May 20, 2021 • By Shannon Elliot

At the last Canadian Liver Meeting in 2020, there was a palpable sense of optimism about the prospect of eliminating hepatitis C in Canada. Researchers, service providers and community members launched a blueprint outlining our collective goals and possible strategies, and we shared evidence from research and practice to guide policy and programs. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened. It had an enormous impact on our sector, with services scaled back, researchers and clinicians shifted to the COVID-19 response, and the communities most affected by hepatitis C also facing increased risks from COVID-19 and a growing overdose crisis.

Here’s how service providers can support immigrants and newcomers during COVID-19

May 10, 2021 • By Meghan Perrin and Christopher Hoy

This April 2021, the Alliance for Healthier Communities and CATIE hosted a webinar on community health approaches to supporting immigrants and newcomers in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our speakers explored how inequities have a pronounced impact on immigrants and newcomers during the pandemic, and what frontline workers can do to mitigate these impacts. Here are five key takeaways shared during the webinar that service providers can implement now.

HIV prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic: How it started, how it’s going

April 28, 2021 • By Mia Biondi and Kody Muncaster

Now, more than a year after the first Canadian COVID-19 case, we are struggling not just with a second, simultaneous pandemic in addition to HIV/AIDS, which has resulted in a change in the way people connect, engage in sexual activity and seek healthcare. This has an impact on how people access and take PrEP and has created a whole new set of challenges to address.

From hesitance to confidence: ACCHO’s new COVID-19 vaccine video

April 22, 2021 • By Wanjiru Munene and Ikran Ibrahim

The African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario (ACCHO) is a provincial coalition of organizations and individuals committed to HIV prevention, education, advocacy, research, treatment, care and support for African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) communities. They spoke to CATIE about the impact of COVID-19 in ACB communities, and their efforts to improve vaccine confidence.

Preventing HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic: PEP and PIP to the rescue

April 19, 2021 • By Dr. Amila Heendeniya

HIV continues to be a global health threat, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In keeping with UNAIDS goals for reducing that burden, HIV prevention by PEP and PrEP have played major roles in reaching those goals. While PrEP has been instrumental in preventing HIV in people with high-risk exposures, we have seen gaps in HIV prevention strategies, especially among individuals who have less frequent exposures. This is where “pill-in-pocket PEP”, better known as PIP, has a substantial role to play.

The promise that the COVID-19 vaccine brings: A hepatitis C nurse’s perspective

March 23, 2021 • By Bernadette Lettner

Winding through the basement of the hospital, past the spin studio that has been closed for a long time, I follow the snaking line of people. I stand on my designated dot on the floor, a reminder of the physical distancing measures we’ve all grown accustomed to this past year. I go through registration, and then into another line, multiple staff directing me at every turn, ensuring we respect the space and flow in this most circuitous of marathons. I sit down beside a nurse, who goes through the consent form one last time, as she picks up the needle...